


Twelve Drummers Drumming

by Kimmi_watch



Series: Kimmi's 12 Days of Christmas Fics [12]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas fic, I know the tags look scary but give it a chance, M/M, believe it or not, but with a happy and uplifting ending, canon character death, life threatening illness of a minor character mentioned, sad fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 21:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1098888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmi_watch/pseuds/Kimmi_watch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Playing the little drummer boy in the Beacon Hills Christmas show is a major honor. Derek and Stiles go up against each other for the part as children, and it leads to a significant moment of their history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twelve Drummers Drumming

**Author's Note:**

> Part 12 of my unconnected fics inspired by the song 12 Day's of Christmas.
> 
> We're finally here. At the end. Wow, can't believe it. Well if the tags didn't scare you off, read and enjoy.

In Beacon Hills, at Christmas time, there was one thing that all the children wanted to be. The be all and end all for all of the kids, was to be the little drummer boy in the town Christmas show. And it wasn't just the boy's who got a chance to play the role, they'd cast girls before and just changed the lyrics, which meant more competition for everybody but all the kids still tried out because for that one moment, you were the star of the show and everyone wanted it.

Derek had been dreaming of playing the little drummer boy since he was old enough to go watch the show. His sister Laura was cast as the little drummer girl one year and he'd been insanely jealous. He tried out each and every year, right from the age where the drum was even bigger than he was all the way up to the cut off age to play the part. Each and every year he got close but each and each and every year he was beaten by somebody else. But not this particular year. That year, his last chance to get to play the part, he was sure he was going to get it.

"Derek, if you don't stop jiggling I'm going to punch you." Laura threatened when they were on the way to the community hall the auditions took place at. He glared at her but to be fair, he was bouncing in his seat.

"Leave your brother alone, Laura. He's just nervous." His mom told her, shooting her a warning look in the rear view mirror and then smiling calmly at her son. "I'm sure you're going to get it this year, baby." She assured him. He nodded, wanting to seem like he agreed, but he wasn't too sure.

When they got to the auditions it was a mad house. Kids aged three to twelve were running rampant through the hall, hopped up on excitement, nerves, and probably sugar for some of them. It was like this every year, but Derek was used to it and he was in the zone. He found a nice quiet corner to go over the choreography in his head, he knew it off by heart by now, and waited for them to call for the auditions to start.

As predicted, he got down to the finals, asked to stay back at each and every round. He was smug but made sure to keep his face a mask of calm. He'd seen kids disqualified for being a bad sport before and there was no way he was letting that happen to him. 

Finally, it was down to two; Derek and some little kid. He had to hand it to the kid, he was enthusiastic and seemed to be having the time of his life. He could tell the judges thought he was adorable, lugging around the large drum thrown over his body that was kind of small for his age. Even Derek thought he was cute, despite the fact that he was the enemy because this was his absolute last chance to get to play the little drummer boy.

They finished the last trial and Derek went to join his family. His mom thought he was a shoe in and even Laura was excited for him, sure he was going to get it that year. It may be wrong but Derek used his advanced hearing to listen in to the judges. He did it every year and though it hurt when they didn't choose him, he'd rather know ahead of time than get his hopes up.

"The Hale boy's been auditioning every year since he was old enough. He knows the routine backwards and forwards, he's determined and dedicated. This is his last chance, and he's come so close before, I think we'd be silly not to give him the part." One of the judges said and Derek felt his chest puff up in pride.

"I agree. The Stilinski boy is cute, no doubt about it, but he’s six, he can audition again next year." Another judge agreed. Derek had heard those exact words about himself before so he wasn't surprised to hear them about the other boy. The name sounded familiar to him for some reason but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"So it's the Hale boy?" The last judge asked and the two others hummed in agreement. Derek sat up straighter in his seat as they started talking about other mundane things, drawing it out like they always did.

His eyes searched out the other boy. Usually his competition at this stage would be back to running around like a crazed child but that wasn't the case this year. The other kid was sitting with a woman who had to be his mother because she looked very much like him. She didn't look well, she was pale and frail looking and had a scarf around her head. The boy was holding her hand, yammering on at her, and she was giving him a smile but her eyes were sad. He took a sniff and the cloying scent of sickness made him break into a coughing fit.

"Mrs. Stilinski." His mother said from next to him, rubbing his back. He looked up at her and saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked at the other woman. She said nothing other about her but her name but it and the look on her face made him remember. The kid was in Cora's grade at school and their mother's were in the PTA together. Mrs. Stilinski was indeed ill, in fact she was very ill, she was dying. He looked back over at her and saw the tiredness in her body, saw that she looked defeated. 

He didn't think she'd make it to next year.

Without a word he got up and headed over to the judges.

"Excuse me." He said, breaking up a conversation about someone named Melissa and her cheating husband. The three judges looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he was doing over there. "I want to pull out of the running." He told them. They all stared at him with wide eyes.

"But why? You were going to get the part." One of them said. Derek nodded.

"I know. But that kid... I want him to have it. Please." He said. The three judges exchanged a look.

"And why is that?" Another one of them asked.

Derek shook his head. It wasn't for them to know. He had his reasons and that was enough. "I just want him to have it. I pull out." He said, turning and going back to his seat.

His mother gave him a proud smile and rubbed his back when he joined her again. "You didn't have to do that, honey. I know how long you've been wanting this." She whispered to him. He shrugged, looking over at the kid and his mother again, seeing him trying to make her laugh.

"He deserves it more." He told her. She pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head.

The look on both the kid's and his mother's face when they learnt he was going to be playing the drummer boy made it all worth it. The judges hadn't mentioned that Derek had pulled out so the kid didn't even know he'd come close to not getting the part. That made it even better when he came over and tugged on Derek's hand, getting his attention.

"Mr. big kid, sir." He said, giving him a little smile. "I'm sorry you didn't get the part. You were really good. Super good. I would have gaved you the part." He said, offering him a true smile. Derek couldn't help but grin in return, shaking his head.

"Nah. You were a lot better than me." He told him, ruffling the kid's hair. "You just go out there and play for both of us, okay?" He asked. The kid nodded, his eyes wide, and Derek smiled at him one more time before turning and heading out with his family.

The night of the Christmas show, the kid stole the show. He looked so happy up there and kept sliding his eyes to where his mother was sitting, puffing his chest out in pride. 

Derek didn't regret his decision at all.

Unfortunately he was right; Mrs. Stilinski didn't make it to the next Christmas show.

Years later, Derek found himself in that community hall again. He didn't have his mother watching over him with that little smile she always had on her face when she watched him practice in this room, he didn't have his sister sitting across the hall pulling faces at him to try to put himself off his game, but he did have Stiles, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him and bouncing nervously.

"What if she gets nervous? I got so nervous when I auditioned." He said to him, biting his thumbnail. 

"She'll be fine. She knows this backwards and forwards." He assured him, rubbing his back soothingly. 

Stiles nodded, his eyes darting over to their daughter where she was practicing with Scott and Allison's son. "She wants this so badly." He moaned, shaking his head.

"Just like her father." Derek said with a grin. Stiles snorted, having heard the story of Derek trying out each and every year. He knew he beat him in the last year, had realized it was him after years of knowing him, but that was all he knew.

Their daughter got through to the final round. She was four and the drum around her neck was almost bigger than she was but she was having the time of her life. Derek was reminded of Stiles that year he'd let him win, reminded of how much fun he'd had. If Stiles said he was nervous he believed him but it definitely hadn't looked like he was to anyone else.

As they waited, Anabel, their daughter, played with the little boy who was opposing her. Derek kept his ears out, like he always used to, and heard that the judges were going to pick her. He was so happy and so proud and couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she heard the news.

"Daddy, what's lukey mia?" Anabel asked as she came over to sit on Derek's lap.

"Do you mean Leukemia, baby?" Stiles asked, a frown on his face. Anabel nodded, snuggling closer to Derek. "Well, it's something that makes you very sick. Very, very sick." He explained as best he could. "Why'd you want to know?" He asked but Derek already had an idea.

He looked over towards the little boy who was in the finals. He was small, pale, fragile looking. Looking at him closer he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was incredibly thin. He sniffed and there it was, the cloying scent of sickness.

"Duncan has it." She explained, pointing at the boy. Stiles gasped, looking over at the boy and then back at their daughter. "I want him to be the drummer." She told them. Stiles looked at her in surprise.

"You do?" He asked. She nodded, holding Derek's hand tightly.

"He's scared, he has to go to the hopital soon. I want him to be happy." She told them. Derek grinned, hugging his daughter tighter to him.

"Did I ever tell you that I always tried out to be little drummer boy?" He asked. Anabel nodded, because she'd heard about that a lot, especially leading up to the show. "Well the last year I was allowed to try out, there was this little boy. His mommy was very sick and might not be able to see him at the next Christmas show if he didn't get the part. Daddy overheard the judges saying he won but he didn't want the little boy and his mother to miss out on seeing him be little drummer boy so he told the judges he didn't want the part." He explained. Stiles gasped from next to him, staring at him in surprise.

"I wanna do that." Anabel declared, getting up off Derek's lap and marching over to the judges. 

"You... you did that? For me?" Stiles asked. Derek blushed but nodded. He'd been with Stiles for years but he'd never told him the story of that Christmas.

"Guess I've always been willing to do anything for you." He said, looking away. Stiles cupped his cheek, turning him back to face him, and laid a sweet gentle kiss to his lips.

"Thank you. That... it meant a lot to us." He told him, tears in his eyes. Derek nodded, pulling his husband closer.

Anabel came back over to them, a bright smile on her face. Her smile only got bigger when it was announced Duncan was the winner. Derek was never more proud to be her father than that moment, because that was what the spirit of Christmas was all about, wasn't it? The spirit of giving and making someone else's life even just a little bit happier, even for one day.

**Author's Note:**

> Well there you have it. The last fic of this series :) I hope it made you feel good after the sadness mixed in there.
> 
> I just want to say to everybody who read this series, everybody who clicked the kudos button on one or more of the fics, anybody who commented, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wasn't expecting this kind of reaction and it just amazes me that I got it. I had fun writing this, despite late night's spent trying to finish each story and stress over possibly not getting them done. But I did. This is the end. I finally finished something, lol.
> 
> To those of you that followed me on Tumblr thanks to this series, thank you for that. And for anybody else, you guys can feel free to come say hi or even follow me on [Tumblr](http://kimmi-watch.tumblr.com/) if you want.
> 
> In this fic, twelve is the cut off age to play the little drummer boy and obviously, the little drummer boy is the drummer drumming.
> 
> I'm working on other, multichapter fics at the moment, so if you liked this maybe stay tuned? And I'm always writing on Tumblr when something jumps out at me, so there's more there in my Kimmi writes tag. 
> 
> Seriously, thank you again. I love you all.


End file.
